Nothing But Nedved wrote:Eaton is such a smart player. Seems like he always makes the right decision and is always in the right place. Such a good example for the younger D-men.

I'm not about to pretend I thought Eaton would be anything more than a healthy-scratch 7th/8th defenseman on this roster. And I'm not about to pretend I thought he would be capable of making a difference on this team (at least in terms of on-ice play). At most, I thought he would be a solid "coaching" veteran to help bring a defensive expertise in practice to a team that had forgotten how to play defense.

All that said, I was one of the few who found nothing wrong with the signing and couldn't quite understand why so many people were up in arms over his addition. This just goes to show that we, as fans, don't have access to a large portion of the information that coaches, general managers, scouts, etc have. Obviously Shero, Bylsma and company liked what they saw from him in WBS and in his short tryout in Pittsburgh to understand that he would be a good fit on the team. They've been proven correct. And, while Eaton may get pushed down the depth chart if/when the Penguins trade for a defenseman, having quality, experienced depth in the playoffs is precisely what makes Stanley Cup Champions.

Gaucho wrote:Maybe they planned on signing him all along and only wanted him to get some games under his belt and into shape before bringing him back.

Very possible. In all, though, I just don't understand why people get their panties in a bunch over a low-risk aquisition like this. At worst, he gets waived. At best, he proves to be a solid depth player. Clearly he has played more on the "best" end of things.